shannon2007

We could just kill the bástard. Oh, hang on..... been done :cool:

Raptor

You killed the entire family, and ate it!

shannon2007

Ah come one, be fair... we only ate the baby. :cool:

Raptor

I hope to be back online more permanently tonight. Will email you once I am.

shannon2007

Blatant upping

Closed :p

Raptor

You want upping? I'll give you upping. :p

Been writing up 35 posts since I was forced offline (posting from work now, bloody overtime ), so all fans of the handsome Stevie O'Mao and the cunning management of Stuart Redmond have an avalance of posts to look forward to

Raptor

On New Year’s Eve, Frost woke up to the news he’d lost a valuable ally. Katie was up first and had already seen the latest edition of the Belfast Telegraph, which she handed to Mark with her trademark “told you so” look…

MF So… you were right… Kournikova’s got Keith wrapped around her little finger…

KF Really Mark, it was so obvious, I can’t believe you didn’t see it.

MF Well, I guess I didn’t want to see it. Expensive mistake that.

KF It isn’t even a particularly brilliant story… Performance-related bonus, I could’ve come up with that. Wonder how many fans will believe it.

MF Enough I’m afraid. It’s not the story that matters, it’s the source, and it’s the most respectable in Belfast media-land. I wonder if Stevie actually knows what Kournikova had in mind though.

KF Because of the attack on us?

MF Indeed. It’d have been enough to just defend the payment, there was no need for the attack on us, the former management team. It doesn’t fit in with the rest of O’Mao’s act this season. I kinda got the feeling he didn’t mind us doing things on the background if they were good for the club in the long run. This will turn public opinion against us though, and could take us out of the picture, in which case he himself will have to interfere with Celtic a lot more. Johnson certainly fails to gasp the concept of long-term planning.

KF Stevie must have ulterior motives, he always has. Biggest surprise to me is that he didn’t actually ditch Johnson, who’s just a liability now.

MF He either sees some use in him, or Johnson’s got some dirt on Stevie.

KF Johnson’s nowhere near smart enough to have anything on Stevie, so I don’t for a second believe it’s the latter. Then again, the former seems just as unlikely, but maybe that’s just me.

Raptor

Sunday 6 January 2013, FAI Cup, 2nd Round, Belfast Celtic v Dundalk, Casement Park

2013 started with Celtic’s FAI Cup game against Dundalk, still the only League side they’d only ever met in Cup competitions. The Belfast side had always beaten them, too.

But not this time. Despite being a lot stronger than the visitors, doing well in the First Division, Celtic failed to take any of their chances in the first half. Inevitably, they paid the price in the second half, when young striker Liam Collins scored his first senior goal.

The home side still had 36 minutes to make amends, but needed help from the man in black to draw level. Twelve minutes from the end, Dave Carr received his marching orders after a very soft second booking, and when the Leinster team had finally calmed down, David Healy curled in the resulting free kick from the edge of the box. Celtic escaped with a replay, to be held three days later.

Celtic 1 (Healy 79)
Dundalk 1 (Collins 54, Carr s/o 78)
Attendance: 18,360

Raptor

The Frosts wouldn’t be in Ireland for the replay. Mark’s fears of public opinion turning against them came true during and after the Dundalk home game. Protesters voiced concerns about instability at management level could potentially undermine Celtic’s promising campaign. The more vocal representatives of Celtic’s supporters club publicly backed Stevie O’Mao and his policies, which effectively put Frost offside.

He’d have to find a way back, again, and felt it was best to give it a rest first, let everything and everyone calm down first. Besides, he and his family could do with a break, one they’d take in Brazil. It was also a good time to check up on their club on the other side of the world: América, who were about to kick off their season with the Amazonas State Championship. The previous year, América had won that State Championship, and won their place in the Third Division of the National Championship back as well. They had plenty to look forward to then, and people were proud to report this to the Frosts. Little did they know what Mark had in mind for América though...

Raptor

Wednesday 9 January 2013, FAI Cup, 2nd Round Replay, Dundalk v Belfast Celtic, Oriel Park

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Celtic wasted little time in stamping their authority on Dundalk in their Cup replay. David Healy and Barry Burns scored in the opening 12 minutes to give the visitors a healthy lead, then Glen Keddy made it three before half time. Even though Peter Taylor (who’d given up on trying to break into Coventry City’s first team after one substitute appearance in a decade) gave Dundalk hope on 50 minutes, Healy soon put the result beyond doubt with his second of the night.

For the last 16, Celtic were drawn away to Connacht Senior League champions Salthill Devon, a side they’d eliminated from the competition at the second round stage three years prior.

Dundalk 1 (Taylor 50)
Celtic 4 (Healy 4, 65, Burns 12, Keddy 30)
Attendance: 4,241